Meet the Demon
by The Countess of Monte Cristo
Summary: Kurama and Kuwabara bond after Maze Castle while Yusuke sleeps. Mild Shizuru/Kurama in chapter 2, but it's ignorable.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N So, I wrote this because I thought that there was a severe lack in Kurama and Kuwabara fics. Kuwabara himself just doesn't get enough love, and then I remembered that Yusuke was asleep for three days after Maze Castle, and Kurama was there in Kuwabara's room with him when Yusuke awoke. That made me think that maybe the two of them spent that time getting to know each other since by the end of the anime they were fairly close. This will be three chapters long, one for each day Yusuke was unconscious. So here's what I think happened…_

Hiei was very little help getting the two humans back to Living World. At first he had outright refused when Kurama, part in jest, suggested that he carry Kuwabara. He had to do a lot of placating and bribing to get Hiei to agree to carry Yusuke. He finally had slung him unceremoniously over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, while Kurama shouldered the taller boy over his back, precariously balancing him in a piggy back hold. All it had cost Kurama were several sparing matches, his promise to renegotiate their parole with Koenma, a few heists once their names were cleared, and all the "sweet snow" he could afford.

They had reached Kurama's house fairly quickly. Once Hiei deposited the unconscious detective on his bed, he disappeared, but not before raiding Kurama's kitchen for the gallon of ice cream kept in the freezer. Sighing, Kurama sat heavily in his desk chair. He took his school jacket off and the undershirt beneath it, examining his wound. It was still open and leaking crimson, the flesh, no doubt, ripped asunder by the constant running and fighting of the past few hours.

He began to clean his wound, carefully applying one of his favorite human herbs, Comfrey, also known as knitbone, to close it. He redressed into a tight-fitting button down green top, and began to mend his school jacket. This was the second school uniform he had damaged fighting demons in so many years. He really needed to remember to change into more appropriate attire before leaving for battle.

Resolving to purchase several new tunics, he continued to sew, gazing at Yusuke and Kuwabara, still out cold on his bed. He had placed them both there quite on purpose. Whoever awoke first would make a great scene for which he would be the very amused spectator.

He was not disappointed when, several hours later, his reading was interrupted by a loud curse of "Dammit, Urameshi," followed by struggling and a loud crash. Marking his place and setting the book aside, Kurama peered in entertainment at the heap of tangled sheets and limbs that was Kuwabara on his bedroom floor.

"Well, we must be feeling better," he said lightly, causing the boy, still disentangling himself from the bed coverings, to jump about a foot into the air.

"Geez, Kurama, give me a heart attack, will ya? I didn't know you were here…" he muttered, finally disengaging from the covers and standing shakily.

"My apologies, it was not my intention to startle you," Kurama replied, not managing to suppress a small smile.

Looking around and taking in his surroundings for the first time, his face growing confused, Kuwabara asked, "Where is here, anyway?"

"Ah, you are in my bedroom back in Human World. Hiei and I managed to get you and Yusuke here about four hours ago."

Kuwabara looked dubiously around the small room as if expecting the short demon to appear from underneath the bed, "Where is short stack, anyway?"

"Don't worry," Kurama laughed at this paranoid boy, "He left as soon as we arrived."

Kuwabara looked immediately relieved at this and continued, "I don't know how you deal with that punk."

Chuckling, Kurama answered, "You get used to him."

Kuwabara continued to look around the room, bemused. "Did you say this was your bedroom?"

"Yes," Kurama replied. No one other than his family members and Hiei had ever been in here before now.

"It's just so normal. I mean, you're a demon…" he faltered, losing confidence. He didn't want to offend, and he himself was very new to the idea of demons living among them. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but…

"Were you expecting blood stained walls, bone littered floors, and a dungeon torture chamber?" Kurama asked, teasing the uncomfortable boy.

Kuwabara stuttered nonsensical denials and shook his head frantically, truly worried that he had offended the demon in front of him. This only caused the usually reserved Kurama to burst out laughing, making Kuwabara freeze and stare disbelieving at the chortling demon.

"Forgive me, Kuwabara," Kurama replied, slightly breathless once his laughter subsided. "I forgot that you don't know me very well. I was merely joking."

Kuwabara looked immensely relieved to hear this, calming down considerably, but still seemed rather uncomfortable in the presence of this demon he barely knew.

"I was hoping that you would be able to take Yusuke elsewhere to recover. My mother would become suspicious if she were to come home to find a strange boy in her son's bed," Kurama stated mildly, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had developed.

"Oh, yeah, no problem…" he started then broke off, eyes widening. "Wait, demons have mothers?"

Kurama fought the urge to laugh again as the boy stared in amazement and perhaps even disgust.

"Most demons do in fact have a mother and a father, though asexual birth is not uncommon in the Demon World nor is cloning, but the woman I am speaking of is not my demonic mother," he explained simply, speaking slowly and clearly.

"Uhh, okay, I'm confused," those words brought Kurama back to the moment in time that he had told Yusuke his tale. When he had told him of his relationship with Shiori, he had said more or less the same thing.

"Why don't you sit? It is rather a long story," Kurama motioned for him to take a seat on the bed.

About to sit, Kuwabara gave a grunt, "Ugh, what time is it? I forgot I should probably check out the school and see how Keiko and Botan are…"

"It's six o'clock, and I could accompany you if you don't mind," Kurama offered graciously, fluidly standing from his chair. "We could talk along the way."

Kuwabara nodded at this, still ill at ease in his presence without the buffer of Yusuke.

"Perhaps, you want to borrow one of my jackets…I don't think people would look too kindly on you arriving to school without a shirt." He offered reasonably, taking out an oversized orange jacket that looked like it might fit the taller, broader boy.

Kuwabara frowned but seeing the wisdom in his offer, accepted the jacket in his outstretched hands and put it on. It was a bit tight, but not that bad. He zipped it up and nodded.

They took Yusuke to Kuwabara's house before setting off for his junior high. They didn't speak on the way there as the trip was short, and Kuwabara still couldn't think of a question to ask that wouldn't be offensive. No one was home at the Kuwabara household either, so their job was easy. Kuwabara assured him that his sister wouldn't find a beaten up Urameshi in his bed that out of the ordinary and that he would be okay there for as long as it took him to get back.

They set off, Kuwabara leading the way. Kurama decided to take pity on the poor boy, and he started off the conversation. "So you attend Sarayashiki Junior High with Yusuke?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara replied, happy with the innocent question.

"How did you come to meet Yusuke?" Kurama asked. "You and he seem close."

Kuwabara snorted at his last statement. "About as close as the earth is to the moon."

"Oh?" Kurama asked, surprised. They had bickered enough, certainly, but what was far more telling was the way Yusuke had collapsed when he believed his friend to be dead and had shouted to the world of its cruelty. Also, Kurama couldn't help but remember Kuwabara's desperate shout that he wasn't leaving this place without Yusuke and the way he threw aside Kurama's advice that it was unwise to give his energy and risked his own life to save Yusuke's. People didn't make scarifies like that if they didn't care.

"Well, Urameshi usually just pounds me into the pavement whenever I see him. It's always been a lifelong dream of mine to beat _him_ one day," Kuwabara admitted, shrugging.

"How do you come to be involved with Spirit World?" Kurama asked. A simple schoolmate had no business confronting monsters recreationally.

"It all started when Urameshi died…" Kuwabara began. He proceeded to tell Kurama the rather lengthy tale of how Yusuke came to be the Spirit Detective. Well, how Yusuke had died explained a lot about the boy's character. It wasn't so unusual for him to risk his life to save a perfect stranger. For a moment, Kurama didn't feel quite so special.

"Then my premonitions got worse so I traveled to the psychic Genkai's compound to get her help. I got press ganged into competing to be her student, discovered the Spirit Sword, and got my butt whooped by a demon...it was the first demon I had ever seen. Yusuke ended up beating him…thanks entirely to my generous gift of spirit energy, and he trained with her for six months. I was with him when Botan explained the new case at Maze Castle, and I jumped right in. If I can use my powers to protect this world from evil then I will."

"That's very noble of you. If I'm to understand correctly, you are the only one among us who is doing this of their own volition. Yusuke must be Spirit Detective to live and Hiei and I are aiding him to avoid prison," he explained. He admired this boy's courage and heroism.

Kuwabara turned around to gaze openly at him at this, narrowing his eyes, he surveyed the demon. "Yeah, when you guys showed up, Urameshi called you "the thieves." He began suspiciously. "What did he mean, and why do you have 'community service'?"

"Ah, well, you see, Yusuke's first mission as Spirit Detective was to apprehend or kill Hiei and myself," Kurama sighed, still amazed at how everything had turned out. He and Hiei could be dead right now, or more probably he and _Yusuke _would be dead and Hiei would be on a killing spree.

Kuwabara sputtered at this revelation, suddenly looking alarmed at his companion. He muttered weakly, "You…you didn't…how did he…what _happened_?"

"Yusuke, being as inexperienced as he was, blundered through the case, and yet everything turned out all right in the end," he began simply.

Kuwabara nodded encouragingly, eager for the rest of the tale.

Kurama obliged. "Hiei and I raided the most guarded vault in Spirit World, King Enma's Darkness Vault. In it are items of immense power and evil, as you can imagine from the name. I was quite an accomplished thief once upon a time, and we succeeded in attaining them. Yusuke tracked me down, but I stole my item with pure intentions. I was to use it to heal my dying mother, but the item in question, The Forlorn Hope, would take the life of the wielder the moment the wish was granted…" Kurama paused here for dramatic effect, unable to resist his flair for melodrama, and it was such a good tale; it deserved a good telling.

"Well, what happened then?" Kuwabara was enthralled despite himself. He had stopped walking, a mark of his captured attention.

"Yusuke, as you have told me he often does, acted without thinking and risked his life to save my own. The mirror thought this noble so it took half of my life energy and half of Yusuke's. My mother was saved, so I gave up the mirror and allowed myself to be arrested."

"What about shorty?"

"Well, I was released on bail so to speak, and I came to Yusuke's aid. I took a killing stoke from the sword Hiei stole, and helped Yusuke clinch a narrow victory," Kurama explained.

"And he didn't murder you?" he asked, amazed.

Kurama inwardly flinched as he remembered his blood running cold as Hiei stared at him, not with anger as he had expected, but with _hurt._

"We came to an agreement," he answered simply, not keen to go into detail. The memory of Hiei's rage was not so far gone, nor the hurt that his betrayal had caused. They would eventually bridge the gap that had separated them at this, but that hadn't yet happened. Kurama had gotten him out of jail, but he still needed to prove himself to earn back the reticent demon's trust after all he'd done. It was amazing he had received his trust in the first place, and he wasn't hopeful at the prospect of winning it back at all.

"Well, I'm glad it ended that way. We'd all be dead if it was just me and Urameshi taking on those Saint Beasties," Kuwabara acknowledged wisely.

Kurama laughed at this as they began to walk once more, silence again reigning between them. This time Kuwabara initiated a discussion. "So I noticed you wear the school uniform for that private academy in Mushiori."

"That's correct, I'm a sophomore at Meiou Academy," he supplied.

"I didn't know demons went to school," Kuwabara admitted timidly.

"They don't. I'm rather unique," Kurama laughed under his breath.

Kuwabara didn't press him further as they rounded the last two blocks and arrived at the school. The sight that greeted them was alarming but not surprising. Ambulances and police cars were lined up at the entrance, and Kuwabara immediately spotted Botan's blue head being bandaged by a medical technician.

Kuwabara waved at her as he neared, noticing Keiko at her side once he arrived at the ambulance.

"How ya holdin' up?" he asked the ferry girl who seemed to be the only one of the two who was injured.

"I'll be fine," she said inclining her head to Kurama by way of greeting. Kurama mirrored the gesture, his eyes sliding to the girl by her side. He remembered Keiko from when Hiei had captured her. Now, the leader of the Saint Beasts, Suzaku, too, had used her to get to the detective. It was a crippling weakness Kurama knew all too well.

"Hey, Kuwabara," Keiko whispered, still shaken by the events of the past day. She looked curiously at the redhead beside him.

"Hello, my name is… Kurama and I am a friend of Kuwabara's and Yusuke's," Kurama introduced himself politely, hesitating at giving his real name, but if she was going to hang around Kuwabara and Yusuke, she was bound to hear it from them eventually.

"Nice to meet you," she said as he bowed to her, causing a blush to creep into her cheeks. He tended to have that effect on the opposite sex…and sometimes the same sex.

"Hey, er...Botan. Can I talk to you a second?" Kuwabara asked tensely after Keiko explained that school was canceled for the rest of the week, leading Botan away from the two of them after she was sufficiently bandaged.

This left Kurama and Keiko in an awkward silence, both unsure of what to say to one another.

Keiko eventually broke the silence. "So, you're a friend of Kuwabara's and Yusuke's? You don't go to this school, how did you meet?"

He was spared an answer by Kuwabara's abrupt reappearance, cutting him off as he took a breath to answer, Kuwabara said, "He's also an intern at the detective agency!"

Kuwabara laughed uneasily at this, making Kurama question his ability to keep this secret. He knew why Spirit World insisted that humans not know about demons, but if she were to get seriously involved with Yusuke then keeping this a secret was virtually impossible. But who was he to judge people for keeping secrets from the ones they loved? He resigned himself to go along with this thin veil of a cover story. At the very least he could sell it much better than Kuwabara, it was, after all, partly true.

"Yes, that is correct. I had my doubts about Yusuke's abilities, but he has surprised us all," Kurama replied earnestly.

Keiko was about to speak, but she was interrupted by a member of Kuwabara's gang approaching them.

"Way to go, Kuwabara!" Komada shouted, "Look at that hottie! She your girlfriend, man?"

When he was feet away he raked Kurama with an appreciative leer, "You got a name, honey?"

Kuwabara watched in mixed horror and embarrassment as Kurama went stock still, lips a hard line, and eyes narrowed in menace. Moving quickly so as to avoid the death of one of his closest, albeit stupidest, friends, he quickly intervened.

"Stupid, he's a man," Kuwabara said simply, whacking him hard on the back of the head.

He watched with concealed amusement as Komada did a double take then turned a very unattractive shade of green.

"I'm hurt, you're not interested anymore?" Kurama supplied dryly in a deadpan that would have made Hiei proud. That was the last straw for Kuwabara, he burst out laughing.

Komada promptly fled, never once looking back. Kuwabara had never seen his friend move so fast, and he was on the track team.

"Sorry about that, he's a little…well…" Kuwabara began, embarrassed for him.

"Don't be," Kurama replied with a slight smile twitching at his lips. "I need to head back home, now, but if you don't mind, I'll come visit you tomorrow to see if Yusuke has awakened."

"Sure, no problem," Kuwabara replied. After their chat he felt slightly better in his company. He still felt unbalanced around the mysterious demon, but he would only get more comfortable with him if they spent more time together.

Kurama arrived home to find Hiei lounging on his windowsill.

"Is Yusuke awake?" he asked disinterestedly, but Kurama could tell he was interested purely because he had asked.

"Not yet, if I were to hazard a guess, I'd say he'd be out for the next two days at least."

"I see you've added another member to your fan club…" Hiei snickered, grinning evilly at Kurama.

"Tell me you weren't following us," Kurama groaned. He would never hear the end of this.

"Well, you were talking about _me_, so I had to make sure you didn't say anything…inappropriate." The excuse sounded lame enough that Kurama gave him a droll stare.

"Why, Hiei, if you asked me, I'd say stalking puts you firmly into the category of the _president_ of my fan club." Oh how fun it was to tease Hiei, for he was much better at it than him, and the little demon was just so _easy_ to nettle.

Hiei leveled a death glare at Kurama, but he had long ago become impervious to its effects.

"I'll let you know when Yusuke wakes," Kurama said, refusing to blink as they digressed into a childish staring contest.

"In the mean time, I believe you had promised me some fights…" Hiei began, eying his sword affectionately, "I do believe that I'll try to cut out that sharp tongue of yours."

_A/N I'm assuming Meiou Academy (Kurama's school) is in Mushiori city because Kiatou lives in that city, and he goes to Kurama's school. So either one of them commutes or they both live in that city. I couldn't resist the Kurama is a girl joke and the Hiei is secretly in love with Kurama joke. Sorry! And thanks to the wonderful Reyka Sivao who gave me some notes on herbalism. What a convenient interest for a Kurama fan!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N A rather funny game of Loaded Questions ensues…_

Kurama knocked on the surprisingly handsome oak front door of Kuwabara's house the next day. The house was small and unassuming but had an appealingly lush front yard. Kurama stooped as he waited for the door to open, taking a deep whiff of the aromatic roses that grew, tall and strong, by the front door.

Straightening up as the door opened, he came face to face with a very beautiful brunette woman. She looked to be slightly older than himself (his human form at least), and was nearly as tall as he was which was impressive for a female. There was little doubt that she was related to Kuwabara, though she was infinitely more attractive. This must be the sister of whom he had spoken.

She surveyed him with intelligent chocolate eyes. Raising an elegant eyebrow, she looked him up and down. Kurama had the unsettling feeling that she was seeing more than just his appearance. If she, too, was like Kuwabara, then she might just have some spiritual awareness of her own. If that were true then she may be able to guess what exactly he was…

She opened he mouth to speak, and her voice was husky and gruff, definitely a Kuwabara, "How can I help you?"

"Hello, I am a friend of your brother, Kazuma's," he had learned of the boy's first name, but since Yusuke had introduced him as 'Kuwabara,' he discerned that that was the name he preferred; so he had used it. However, it would seem odd to use his surname when speaking to the sister who shared it.

She seemed taken aback at this, but nodded, saying a bit suspiciously, "Yeah, sure, he's upstairs, come in."

She led him into the well-cared-for house. It was neat and very clean which seemed odd for a boy like Kuwabara. She took him upstairs, not knowing that he had been here once before and could find his way around. When they reached Kuwabara's room, that's when Kurama had the feeling that this was, indeed, his home. Dirty clothes lay in heaps strewn across the floor and comic books cluttered every available surface. Shizuru mumbled under her breath something about making him throw all this stuff out soon, before she spotted Kuwabara in a corner, cat near his feet. Yusuke remained on the bed where they had left him. He hadn't moved at all in over twenty-four hours.

"Hey, bro, someone here to see you," she called gruffly. Kuwabara looked up and spotted Kurama. He waved in greeting, standing up and stretching.

Shizuru walked over to him and whispered quietly, "So, who's your florescent friend?"

Kuwabara looked like he was about to laugh at this but stifled it admirably with a rather transparent fake sneeze.

"Oh, uh, this is Kurama… he's a friend of Yusuke's," Kuwabara explained. Kurama frowned as yet another human learned his real name. It appeared his days of secrecy were over. "And Kurama, this is my annoying big sis, Shizuru." The woman in question promptly punched Kuwabara in the arm with such force as to surprise Kurama. She was mightier than she looked. He supposed he knew now where Kuwabara had learned to brawl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Shizuru-san," Kurama bowed politely at her. Instead of the usual swooning reaction that many girls had, she merely narrowed her eyes suspiciously. It appeared he had found someone immune to his charms, at last. Kurama was shocked to find that this disappointed him a little. She was very different from the giggling airheads at his school. There was something about her…

"A friend of Yusuke's, huh?" she asked with a tone to match the look in her eyes. "Then maybe you can tell me why the boy's been passed out here for almost two days straight. Baby bro's been mum on the subject…"

Kuwabara looked uncomfortable, he shot a look at Kurama the clearly said "help me." Kuwabara wasn't much for cover stories, but lying was an art long ago perfected by the tricky fox. He took a stab at it.

"Ah, well, he and Kuwabara got into a little turf war with a rival gang. I believe they were from Kasenagafuchi Junior High, right Kuwabara?"

"Uh…yeah, that's right," Kuwabara exclaimed, griping the life line Kurama threw him with all the desperation of a drowning man.

"Yusuke fought valiantly and won, though not without exhausting himself. He's told me before that his mother has gotten so worked up that she, too, had passed out for days at a time. It would appear to run in the family."

Whether or not Shizuru bought this, he couldn't tell, but she did not press them further. They stood in Kuwabara's room, awkward with nothing really to say to one another.

"Oooh, I have an idea," Kuwabara shouted at last, excited. "Let's play a game! I have that new game, Bold Inquiries!"

Shizuru looked dubiously at him when he said this. Kurama, too, doubted the wisdom of this, but he did wish to become closer to the boy. If he were to trust him with his life on a mission then at the very least he could trust him enough to play a game with him. Kurama shrugged his approval, and Shizuru went downstairs to fetch the game. Kurama wondered briefly if she was uncomfortable with the idea of being alone in the room with him.

When she returned they cleared a space on the floor and set up the game. They each received a pad of paper and a pencil and set their respective pieces on the game board. Kurama's piece was green, Kuwabara's yellow, and Shizuru's red.

"For the record, this is hardly fair. The two of you are siblings, surely I have no hope of winning," Kurama pointed out reasonably.

"Nah, it's not about winning or losing; it's about fun and getting to know each other," Kuwabara rejoined sagely. He really did surprise Kurama sometimes with his wits.

He briefly explained the rules for Kurama's benefit. One player asks a question and the other two write down their honest answers. One of the writers reads out theirs and the other players' answers, and the player who asked the question must guess to whom the answers belonged.

"Alright, you judge first, Kurama." Kuwabara suggested. Nodding, Kurama rolled the dice and selected the question card.

"If you could be in a relationship with any celebrity, which would you choose?" Kurama read, knowing at least that he would get the answer to this one right.

Once they had written their answers, Shizuru read, "Okay, Rain…( Star of the movie _Ninja Assassin_ and Japanese pop singer)"

"Well, unless Kuwabara is a closet homosexual, I'm going to go ahead and say you wrote it, Shizuru," Kurama cut her off before she could read the next slip of paper.

Kuwabara turned a hilarious shade of pink as Shizuru snorted. "I like this guy, Kazuma!"

"Settle down, you two," Kuwabara sputtered as Kurama, too, began to softly chuckle.

Kuwabara went next. "What is your favorite time of day?" he read. Well, that one was a vague enough question that Kurama doubted the siblings had ever discussed it.

Once their answers were completed, Kurama read, "Twilight…or dawn."

Kuwabara took a long time to answer. He was probably thinking something along the lines that demons preferred the cover of darkness, but he would be wrong. Kurama loved the dawn, morning air. How the plants all awoke with the sun, greeting the new day with dew still clinging to their petals.

"Uh, Kurama, you wrote twilight, and , Sis, you wrote dawn." He hadn't been disappointed.

"When have you ever seen my ass up at dawn, idiot?" Shizuru asked, shaking her head. Kuwabara looked slightly put out as Shizuru retrieved a card.

"What part of your body aches the most right now?"

Kuwabara and Kurama gave each other conspiratorial smirks. Having just recently fought together, they knew which parts of their companion's bodies' ached the most.

Once they had exchanged papers, Kuwabara read, "Chest or back."

Shizuru considered them both for a moment then said with confidence. "Red was chest and you were back." Well, it was an easy enough question, and she had had a fifty percent chance of getting it right.

Kurama took his turn again, "If you could un-invent anything, what would you choose?"

This question took some deliberation. Kuwabara sucked on the end of his pencil contemplatively, and Shizuru closed her eyes in thought.

Shizuru finally spoke once they had finished deliberating. "School…"

"Well, it's a safe bet that that was Kuwabara…" Kurama sighed. This was easier than he had expected.

"Yeah, and I don't think school can be considered an invention, genius," Shizuru scoffed, rolling her eyes at her brother.

Kuwabara was up again. "If you were stranded on a deserted island, and only had two books of your choosing which would you pick?"

Kurama's answer was fast-coming, and he waited patiently for Shizuru to hand him her own. He was impressed by what she had written once he attained it.

"_La Divina Comedia _ and _Aesop's Fables_ or _The Heart's a Lonely Hunter_ and _Gone with the Wind_.?"

Kuwabara didn't take long to answer, "The girly books are my sister's and you're the foreign sounding ones."

"I made it easy for you," Shizuru mumbled. Kurama had a hard time believing this rough and tough woman was a romantic at heart.

Shizuru fished a card out of the pile and read, "What is the noblest thing you have ever done?"

Both Kuwabara and Kurama started at that question. Other people might have found that question a great chance to brag, but both their answers were rather personal. Kurama contemplated lying, but thought better of it. Perhaps he was motivated by some wild need to impress the woman…

Kurama read the answers in his hand and laughed. "Well, it looks like you've gotten some free points. Both the answers are that we've risked our lives for one of our loved ones."

Kuwabara and Kurama took a moment to appreciate this fact, glancing briefly at one another. In that moment when black eyes met green, they came to an understanding. They were both men of honor, and as such they respected one another.

Shizuru blinked at the exchange as well as their answers. She seemed to deem their confessions as the truth, but that didn't stop her puzzlement. She almost made to question them before Kurama quickly picked another card and began to read loudly.

"What is your life's ambition?"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes suspiciously at this obvious change in subject but allowed it. Grudgingly, she picked up her pencil and wrote. Kuwabara seemed to struggle with this question, eventually coming up with an answer, handing it to his sister with a cautious air. Her eyes widened as she read and it could be a trick of the light, but it looked like she was tearing up a little.

"Oh, Kazuma…" she said with emotion.

"Chill, sis, you'll give the answer away!"

Clearing her throat and blinking several times, she said, voice wavering, "Marry someone who cares about me…and get into the top high school in order to get a job that can provide for my family…"

Kurama smiled openly at both the Kuwabara's answers. They were sensitive in more ways than one. They had spiritual sensitivity, but they were also gentle and kind people at heart, even if their gruff and hard shell hid it well. In Kurama's long life, he had come to realize that people like this were truly rare, and he considered himself luck to meet so many of them in his human life.

"Well, that's very sweet of you to care about your family so much, Kuwabara. I can relate to that," Kurama said by way of answer, beaming at the young boy with the heart of gold. Kuwabara smiled back, and they shared yet another moment, their bond growing stronger by the question.

"Alright, my turn." Kuwabara said in a gravelly voice, clearly touched by their reaction to his heartfelt ambition. "What is your biggest regret?"

Kurama paled visibly at this question. His eyes widened, and he had to quickly hide his reaction as Kuwabara gazed at him in sudden worry. Kurama briefly wondered what the boy expected him to say…or more importantly what he thought he had done. He was a demon, not an angel, and he must therefore have a dark past. It was true enough. He never wished to confess those darkest, most terrible deeds to anyone. He allowed himself some time to actually ponder the worst sin he had ever committed. He had taken lives, so many lives, both human and demon. Men, women…_children_. He shuddered at the thought now. Then he remembered what he had done to Yomi…to Hiei. He sighed deeply, resolving to tell the truth. He had been truthful in this game so far, and he didn't wish to start down the path of lies once more. It was becoming clearer and clearer since he had met Yusuke that the cleansing of his soul lay in bearing it, of unraveling the web of lies he had constructed. And so he wrote the truth and took Shizuru's paper from her outstretched hand.

He read with a dry throat in a detached voice, "Smoking, and... betraying a friend."

Kuwabara blinked at this, for a moment stunned for he had expected much worse, though he hadn't really thought for a second he would own up to it. But this answer had a ring of truth to it that both the siblings could clearly hear.

"Well, smoking is obviously sis..." Kuwabara said, trailing off, clearly not wanting to put Kurama on the spot any more than he had. Shizuru, with a deftness that was surprising, shifted to through the deck and found a card she wanted while Kuwabara continued to gape at Kurama.

Shizuru's turn came again. "What do you consider to be your hidden talent?"

Kurama couldn't help but smile at her attempt to lighten the mood, grateful for it.

It didn't take either of them long to come up with their answers. Kuwabara read, "Green thumb …or sixth sense." Green thumb was a bit of an understatement but so was sixth sense.

Shizuru snorted again, "Well, even if I didn't know about the sixth sense because I have it, too…" Kurama feared as much. Maybe she _could _tell what he was… "…my brother can't manage to keep grass alive."

"Ah, so those lovely roses out front were yours, I assume?" Kurama had found them to be quite healthy, happy, and well-cared for.

"Yeah, you noticed those?"

"I have a deep appreciation for nature. Perhaps I could show you my own garden sometime?" What had he just said? He was never so forward.

But she only smiled, saying, "I'd like that."

Kuwabara looked between the two of them suspiciously, eyes narrowed.

The game continued in this manner for hours, long after the sun had disappeared to be replaced by the blanket of night. They had long ago abandoned the game board and instead just asked one another questions, even Kuwabara and Shizuru seemed to be learning more about each other. But all good things must come to an end. Kurama left around ten, feeling as if he had made two more human friends.

_A/N Sorry about the slight Shizuru/ Kurama shipping if you don't agree. I find that they are quite compatible, really (when you exclude Hiei! Hahahaha). It's my opinion only since Togashi was very mum on the subject of Kurama's love interests. I'd like to see peoples guesses as to which friend Kurama is talking about…it's pretty obvious…(though I think it was true of the other, too, at least by the end of the series)._


	3. Chapter 3

Kazuma Kuwabara woke up, uncomfortable and groggy just like the last two days. With Urameshi sleeping in his bed and Shizuru refusing to share hers, he was left to crash on the minuscule futon in the living area. It was about two feet too small, and his head lolled precariously over its edge. He woke up every morning sore and exhausted. Massaging the crick in his neck, he resolved that if Urameshi didn't wake up today he was going to _beat_ him awake. Not grasping the counter-productiveness of this action, he nodded to himself, satisfied with his fool proof plan.

"Hey, Bro, you feel like some breakfast?" Shizuru asked, unusually chipper this morning. Her long brown hair was tousled, and she was clad in her bed robe. She yawned hugely as she said this.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" he said, enthused. Shizuru never cooked him breakfast, and he could already feel his stomach grumbling…

"Good, then go out and get some," she replied throwing a coin purse his way. He fumbled with it, staring daggers at his sister.

Grumbling, he threw on some clothes and headed out, all the while cursing his lazy sister. In truth he was too hungry to argue, and he lacked anything resembling cooking prowess. Since Kurama had come over, neither he nor his sister had eaten any dinner the night before.

He had really had a great time last night. It'd been a long time since he'd had fun with a friend. He was comfortable calling Kurama that now. He felt he learned a lot about the enigmatic demon in that short game. He'd never understand the academic side of the man, but he felt that he was a kindred spirit in other ways.

He had learned of Kurama's kindness and compassion. He had also learned of his rough past, but none of that mattered now. The man he saw now was noble and honest. Whoever he had been was not who he was now. Kurama had made up for his past by helping him and Urameshi, and as far as he was concerned that was enough for him.

He was thinking about all of this as he reached the corner store, and not paying attention to where he was walking, ran into someone in the produce isle. The man in question, a slim redhead, dropped the fresh basil he was holding, littering the floor with dark green leaves.

Turning around and muttering his fervent apologizes, Kuwabara came face to face with the man he had bumped into. His eyes widened in shock as did the pair of startling emerald ones he was looking into.

"Well, think of the devil…Kurama!" Kuwabara shouted, clapping the man on the shoulder in greeting.

Kurama raised thin, scarlet eyebrows at this. _What a very appropriate phrase._ "Hello, Kuwabara, lost in thought, were we?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I was just trying to think of something for me and Shizuru to eat for breakfast," Kuwabara admitted, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"And you've arrived at…potato chips and soda?" Kurama asked lightly, nodding towards the items in Kuwabara's arms. He bent down and collected the loosed leaves as did Kuwabara, and then Kurama put them into a plastic bag, dropping it into his shopping basket. Once they had both straightened up, Kurama eyed him critically.

"How about this? Why don't I cook a small breakfast for your sister and yourself, seeing as it is my fault that the two of you were unable to eat supper last night?" he suggested generously.

"Oh, I can't ask you to do that…" Kuwabara started, shaking his head.

"Ah, but you see, you didn't. I offered," Kurama explained, smiling at his friend's coyness.

"No, no…I don't want to bother you. We'll be fi—"

Kurama laughed at his sputtered protestations. "It's no trouble. Just let me get the ingredients."

Kurama wouldn't take no for an answer, so Kuwabara accompanied him as he bought eggs, peppers, mushrooms, cheese, and bacon for the omelets he planned to cook for the three of them. Once he had purchased the ingredients, they walked in companionable silence toward the Kuwabara residence.

"I wanted to thank you for letting me stay yesterday," Kurama said as they neared his house.

"Hey, it was nothing. You're pretty cool, ya know?" Kuwabara stated earnestly. He got the feeling that Kurama didn't have many friends, and the fact that Kuwabara had let him into his home so willingly and they engaged in such a normal activity as playing a game, must mean a lot to him. They were both used to fighting, but sharing a moment of peace was something special.

Kurama turned to smile at Kuwabara, and he found himself dazzled by its brilliance. He had seen the expression before, but now it was unguarded and genuine. The power behind such an open expression made Kuwabara stop in his tracks. Kurama blinked at his reaction, smile dimming. Kuwabara quickly snapped out of it, shaking his head to clear it.

"Sorry, I was just thinking that maybe you didn't have many friends. It's just what friends do, hanging out with one another, I mean," Kuwabara explained, hoping that he would forget his reaction to the smile.

Kurama grinned at this, and they continued to walk, arriving at his house moments later. Kuwabara let them in, and Kurama bustled into the kitchen to wash the vegetables and prepare the meal.

"Hey, Sis, come on down," Kuwabara called at the foot of the stairs.

"You better have breakfast with you. If I hear that you blew the money I gave you on manga one more time…" she said as she climbed down the stairs.

"Ha, no, I'll have you know, I did one better. I found a personal chef!" Kuwabara announced proudly, goofy grin on his face.

"What? I didn't give you _that_ much," she asked in disbelief, looking into the kitchen where the sounds of clanging pans could be heard.

Spying the redhead busying himself in their kitchen, Shizuru cracked a smile of her own. "I guess we can keep him."

Kuwabara smiled at her off-hand tone, knowing she was just as pleased as he was to see Kurama. They had hit it off pretty well last night, a thought he still didn't really like to think about.

They both entered the kitchen as Kurama began to crack eggs into the frying pan.

"Hey-ya, Red, didn't know you were handy in the kitchen," Shizuru greeted, taking a seat at the table.

"Good morning, Shizuru. I hope you like omelets," he replied, deftly twirling the pan in order to completely coat the bottom in the runny, uncooked eggs.

"That's cool," she said. "Make yourself useful and make some coffee, Bro."

"You make yourself useful," he mumbled under his breath, moving to do as he was told, regardless.

Soon the kitchen filled with the aroma of brewing coffee and the savory scent of frying eggs. Once the food as cooked, Kurama sat with the siblings enjoying both the meal and the company. The Kuwabara siblings praised his cooking mightily, saying with conviction that it was the best omelet either of them had ever had.

Once the meal was finished, Kuwabara and Kurama retired into the former's bedroom. Kuwabara took a chair near the bed and Kurama leaned against the opposite wall. Kuwabara's cat, Eikichi, circled around Kurama's legs, affectionately rubbing her cheek against the demon's shoe. He bent down to pet her, and she practically jumped into his arms. He pulled her with him as he straightened up, carrying her while absently stroking her soft fur.

"Wow, she really likes you," Kuwabara stated, impressed.

"Yes, I have a way with animals. It probably has something to do with being an animal spirit myself." Kurama explained, still petting the cat.

"Animal spirit? I thought you were a demon…" he asked, confused by this revelation. The guy before him looked as human as ever. Shouldn't he have a tail or something?

"Indeed, I am. Apparitions and demons are the same basic entity. As I grew in power, I became more and more demonic, even gaining a demon form along the way," he said this with patience, mindful that this information would be useful to the boy in the future should he continue to involve himself with the Spirit World.

"Oh," he said somewhat lamely, not truly understanding. "So what type of animal were you…a harmless little bunny?" he mocked, trying to cover up his confusion with the bold jibe.

"Kuwabara, you have seen me fight. There is nothing harmless about me," he smiled. "I am a fox."

Kuwabara absorbed this information and then balked. "Uhhh, should you really be around my cat then, man?"

Kurama did not even bother to hide his amusement. Laughing riotously, he just barely managed to get his words out, "Kuwabara, I assure you that I will not eat your pet!"

Kuwabara didn't look mollified, but he dropped the subject. A fox was definitely an animal he could associate with Kurama. Sly, devious, and mischievous were all words that described the amused demon before him.

Switching gears, he asked, "So how much longer will Urameshi be out? Cuz sleeping beauty over here is hogging my bed."

Kurama grinned at him. "I'd say he should wake up any minute now. His life energy has replenished itself by now."

Kuwabara nodded then all of a sudden his eyes were alight with mischief. Ginning impishly he asked, "Hey, why don't we play a little joke on him, eh, Kurama?"

"What do you have in mind?" Kurama asked, never one to pass up an opportunity to trick someone else.

"Well, how about we invite Keiko and Botan over, I'm sure Urameshi will want to know they're okay."

"Yes, but I hardly see the joke in that."

"Well, when he asks about them, we'll pretend that they didn't make it. Then they'll burst in and make him look like an idiot!" he announced proudly.

Kurama found it to be a rather weak joke and politely pointed out as much, but the boy was persistent. An hour later, Keiko and Botan arrived. They stayed down stairs talking to Shizuru while Kurama and Kuwabara waited for Yusuke to awaken.

Not long after Yusuke blinked his eyes open.

"Well, about time you woke up, sleeping beauty," Kuwabara said snidely.

Yusuke sat up in bed rapidly, head swiveling around to take in his surroundings. "Gee, Kuwabara, I'm touched you think I'm beautiful. Where am I, by the way?"

"You're in my room, which, by the way, is back on earth," Kuwabara explained, dutifully ignoring the barb.

"You've been sleeping for three days straight," Kurama interjected.

Yusuke continued to blink blearily. "Uuuuunnnhhh, three days? It feels like I've been out for a while. I've never felt so beat up before in my life."

"School looks like a war zone and classes got cancelled for a week. Iwamoto is being grilled by the police. He says he doesn't remember a thing, and Takanaka is recovering from a blow to the head. I talked to your mom, too, so don't worry about that," Kuwabara continued, looking very content in the fact that there was no school for a week.

"Okay, and what about Keiko?" Yusuke asked seriously. Kurama and Kuwabara faced away, feigning sorrow.

"What about Keiko and Botan?" Yusuke demanded again.

They continued to avert their eyes, looking to all the world as if they couldn't bring themselves to utter the dark truth.

"What?" Yusuke insisted.

Still no answer came.

"What!" he yelled, more urgently. Desperation coloring his voice.

He launched himself off the bed and vaulted over to where Kuwabara sat. He gripped the front of his jacket tightly and roughly pulled him to his feet.

"Hey, you better do more than clenching your teeth. Tell me what happened to her!"

Just then the door opened revealing the healthy, if slightly nettled, forms of Botan and Keiko.

"I'd recognize that yell anywhere. What's up Yusuke?" Botan asked, unharmed.

Yusuke sputtered for a few seconds, completely caught off guard, his hands dropped from Kuwabara's clothes. "Botan? Keiko?"

"Oh my gosh, that was so great," Kuwabara voiced, giggling like an idiot.

"Sorry, Yusuke, he insisted," Kurama apologized, hand over his mouth in an effort to hide his own laughter.

Kuwabara could not control himself any longer and burst out in laughing in loud guffaws. "Hahahah. Oh you really should have seen the look on your face!"

"Come here you jerk. I'll show you a look!" Yusuke promptly grabbed Kuwabara once more and commenced with reacquainting the boy with his fists.

"Heeeey!" Kuwabara grunted, wrestling with his freshly awakened friend.

"It is unwise for you to overexert yourself in such a manner, Yusuke," Kurama chided mildly, catching one of his fists before it could make contact with Kuwabara's face.

"Yeah, whatever, mom!" Yusuke answered Kurama pointedly and childishly. Kurama only sighed and dropped the captured fist.

They sat around Kuwabara's room, and as Kurama only felt the need to interfere after Yusuke had gotten some good hits in, the boy in question was face first on the floor.

"It was a close call. I thought we were goners. Then they knocked me in the head," Botan explained, surprisingly cheerful given the subject matter. "When I came to, all the infected people were sprawled out! I knew then that you'd triumphed."

"Well, glad you're both okay!" Yusuke insisted adamantly, grinning from ear to ear. "That's a relief. It's all over…"

He froze suddenly. Kurama sensed it had something to do with the glare Keiko leveled at him.

Kurama only sighed again and excused himself moments after Keiko and Yusuke left together, explaining that his own mother would be wondering where he was.

"Hey, Kurama, wait," Kuwabara called, meeting him at the foot of the stairs. Kurama turned to look at him expectantly.

"Thanks for chilling with me. It was fun," he said, slightly embarrassed.

"Any time," Kurama replied, smiling to himself as he left.

_A/N I figure Kurama would be a good cook. It having to do with living things and all, don't you think?_


End file.
